Violinist Giuliano Carmignola and conductor Andrea Marcon have served up another reminder that Vivaldi, in the right hands, is so much more than sonic wallpaper. These late Vivaldi concertos, given their premiere recordings here, are, for sure, more of the same musical illustrations, birdsongs, and harmonic sequences; what stands out is the aural handling they are given by Carmignola and the Venice Baroque Orchestra under Marcon.

Much attention is given to Giuliano Carmignola's violinistic tone, and with good reason. The sound he elicits from his extant 18th Century violin is rich and meaty, dosed with a subtle romantic vibrato, but colored throughout with a wide-ranging command of tone. Carmignola's virtuosity is nothing to be sneezed at either: blazing velocity, eternal line, and immaculate articulation and tuning all glow through an oh-so-italian musical nonchalance. The capper, though, is the zaftig sound of the orchestra. The bowing is self-assured, the tone warm and rounded, lacquered with the slight reverberance of the recording hall. The addition of an archlute, theorbo, and baroque guitar to the continuo (the baroque equivalent of jazz's "rhythm section") give the entire album a tremendous swing. I bet Vivaldi, were he still around, would be clamoring for Carmignola et al. to record his 500 or so other concerti.


David Simmons, WQXR

The past year has seen an embarrassment of riches regarding recordings of Bach's Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord. Who knows why--and who cares? The fact is, as a consumer, you have the rare yet pleasurable dilemma of a wealth of choices: Lucy van Dael/Bob Asperen on Naxos, an excellent budget-priced set that musically and sonically stands up to any other version; Fabio Biondi/Rinaldo Alessandrini's first-class renditions for Opus 111 that literally define baroque performance and style; Emlyn Ngai/Peter Watchorn on Musica Omnia; or Andrew Manze/Richard Egarr/Jaap ter Linden on Harmonia Mundi, which "fill out" the first two sonatas with a supporting viola da gamba bass line.


The current recording stands with remarkable similarity to Biondi's renditions, from the bright, brilliant sonics to the uncanny resemblance of violin timbres. Yes, Biondi ornaments where Carmignola goes for a straighter approach, and Sony's perspective gives the violin prominence where Opus 111's makes a much more even balance between the two unquestionably equal partners. But, if you're seriously in the market for a fine set of these sonatas, the question becomes merely a matter of price (go for the van Dael on Naxos) or versatility. If you're interested in the different versions of Sonata No. 6--Bach provides three alternatives--then you'll want Manze's set that not only contains all the existing versions (complete with programming instructions for each) but also adds the "continuo" sonatas to complete the program. If you're just looking for a solid, standard set of the six sonatas, this one--or Biondi's--will prove satisfying enough for a lifetime of listening. No frills, no excess, no ego--just Bach, the whole Bach, and nothing but the Bach.
--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

Ask 100 people and you'll know 100 things. Talking about numbers in Vivaldi's work is mind-boggling! 96 operas, dozens of cantatas and sacred pieces, over 600 instrumental pieces, including 230 violin concertos. One movement per day over a 40-year career... With this recording, Giuliano Carmignola reaches the milestone of 100 violin concertos for the first time in the history of recordings! 13 new compositions reveal the Treviso virtuoso's incomparable affinity with this repertoire of inexhaustible charm.

The violin concerto accompanied Vivaldi throughout his life. And more than any other genre, the circa 220 extant violin concertos reflect the biographical and professional events relating to the "Red Priest". Hence the idea – proposed, we believe, for the first time on disc – of recording 18 concertos, divided into three “seasons” that illustrate the evolution of Vivaldi’s art through the three different stages of his career: the early years, his maturity and the late period. Giuliano Carmignola grew up with Vivaldi’s music, first in his own family and subsequently in various collaborations with ensembles specialised in the Baroque repertoire, leaving us recordings that still today stand as landmarks in the Vivaldi discography. The project of the Three Seasons offers an intriguing parallel between these two inimitable virtuoso violinists by assembling 18 Vivaldi masterpieces which Giuliano Carmignola has carefully selected and never before recorded, including a world premiere recording, that of Concerto RV 289. This box set of three CDs wishes to be a summa not only of Vivaldi’s art, but also of Carmignola’s, interweaving their personal histories and careers. The violinist is here accompanied by Riccardo Doni, directing the Accademia dell'Annunciata, musicians with whom he has enjoyed an over-ten-year collaboration.

An eminent interpreter of Vivaldi, Giuliano Carmignola has always had a great affinity with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, as can be heard in his landmark recordings of the Violin Sonatas with Andrea Marcon (2002), the Violin Concertos with Concerto Köln (2014, Diapason d'or), and the Sonatas & Partitas (2018), which Gramophone judged to be "a first-rate choice among the recordings of these works on period instruments, despite the competition”. Carmignola’s latest project took shape during the Covid lockdowns of 2020 and offers a new and sometimes experimental reading of Bach’s Suites à Violoncello Solo senza Basso, in which he highlights new details and exalts the choreatic character and the brilliance of many of the suites’ movements. Having already assured the success of Sonar in Ottava (A472) with his long-time friend Mario Brunello, this recording is the first of a series of solo projects that Carmignola will realize for Arcana.